New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-11
MAKING BIG DYNAMITE G UNS.
PLANNED TO THROW A TON ONE MILE.


ADVANTAGES CLAIMED FOR THE PNEUMATIC ORD
NANCE-THE CoMPANY's DIRECTORS.
Meeting OF the newly elected directors or the Pneu-
matte Dynamite Torpedo Gun Company was held yeser
dav at the company's offices No. A broadway, Pres
dent g. d. Schuyler presiding. There were present
william Beldep Richard Irwin, jr, william Cranp X
Kingman and A. j. Leith as well as number OF tue
stockholders The presidents report dealt largely ID oe
tails regarding the ffteeninch pneumatic guns
which Mr. SCHUYLER predicted will prove to be all that
has been claimed them Four Of those guns are now
being manufactured at the works OF william tramp ~
Co-one upon the order OF foreign government "hiie
the other three are intended for the pneumatic dynamite
torpedo gun cruiser for the construction OF wDich
the last Congress appropriated S35o00o and which
asserted will be the fastest vessel owned by the Ohu
States Government A commission sent ont by INC
foreign government which contracted for the hrst men,
TONED gun is now NewYork for thepurpose oihspece
ing and reporting upon 1t as the work goes on tno
guns which are made of bronze. are fifteen lncheS IN ~
OF bore and forty feet in length OF barrel 1hy
w -, ,r q rso,Iation she'll which will contain 600
onnd. NJ DIV Mantle but they throw shells OF much
larger or smaller capacity For instance IL Is caimeo
that they will throw shell Of one ton OF 2ooo pouhu'
one mile; 1000 pounds, two miles, foo
mounds two and half miles 500 pounds, three mics ,
$50 mounds four miles: 200 pounds four and one-nat
mies 100 pounds, six miles. This with reasonable
accuracy and with safety the crew. vessel AM guns
What small quantity OF dynamite can do In the way OF
destruction Is always more or less matter OF uncer
tainty But the destructive power OF tnousand
mounds Of dynamite there be question Dropped
upon the deck any vessel In existence the result
woud be the instant and total destruction OF That vessel
in the water beside it. the ship would be over
wbelmed and sunk. As TO land warfare. how would
fort be constructed that could resist the destructive
properties OF such she'll 1t is claimed Tor this pneu
matte gun that Introduction will change the entire
system attack and defence not only by the haes ou'
also by the armies OF the world.
George H. Reynolds chief OF the board OF engineers Oh
the said that he had no hesitation In
declaring he could project with accuracy Win mo
guns no being built dynamite In quantities Tar UP III
the tons at single discharge We expect he sald'
revoutonize modern warfare throughout the world
The actual weight OF the shell which contains l'ooo
nonnd. OF dynamite Is about 1900 pounds Yetone man,
can place the proece IN the gum and then
elevate the gun, train 1t and discharge II. py means
OF certain mechanical appliances The operations mucn
safer than when gunpowder Is used and also gives
higher power from the fact that the propeing AGENT
| compressed air. in the pneumatic gun mas known
force and exceed that Besides whether tno
firing is rapid slow there no heating OF gun DareIs
and great rapidy in dscharRng can oe malntaheu LOT
any length OF time des cd Nothing wears out or meats
mn Gnnpowder as propellng agent for dynamite has
bee discarded utter failure, but IN the pheumac
t ss prnete This il is asserted obviates all danger
OF premature explosion with the highesl anu mus
foul p''''''''
Lieutenant E. L. Zalinsk 5th United States Artillery.
|
making tests Forts Lafayette and Hamilton OF these
guns rs they been succes-vely made. VIZ he ono
inch twoinch, fourinch and eightlnch guns says Oh
the guns building that there Is nothing
nroblrnstIcal or experimental about them The tsts
| Of the other guns rendered IL certain ma, ,nae
| these four guns would be a success We A nn.e
two miles with gun of special design no longer IMAM
the one Fort Lafayette win the new gun car
thro " 100 pounds OF dynamite five miles; thousand
pounds two and quarter miles, aud ION one anu
half miles Some question has been raised as 10 our
ability t. handle with safety In seaway the very heaVy
prorctiles which propose throwing Our design IA OF
snc that the prOectiles VIII not have 10 ne
handled at ALL The movement OF 4 single lever VIII
open the breach, Inc prof ce 10 DE inserted ana
ready loa ling. Our contract calls Tor dscharklng
In two minutes; we are prepared W uo So eNo'y
| minute even more RAPIDLY 80 ,-. ,.,
for this gun that 1t replaced the heavy guns OF the ser
vice he considered IT valuable adjunct especially IN
this country ,because while IL will tase years 70 gel es
10 build the heavy guns That are required hese pheu
maiic guns can be built rapidly with the facilities al
| present existing in trstclass machine shops; We
could not hope he said that these alone No1 No sS
to repel the force OF powerful naval attack put WIN
| them we could hurt the enemy severely before
| he got In. The consciousness OF our ability
do serious injury to an attacking roe woua nave 10
little weight Ia the councils Oh the nation contemplating
such attacks - -. ...a ,.a.
It's length plan had been devised TOT shortening H. 10
that the re would he little difference between IL anu
Runpo WIDER gun OF the calbre, making posHlDo
to mount guns OF large calibre on small torpedo poas
when Is remembered that torpedo Doats FORM arSo
| mart OF foreign naval armaments ana tha lhcy can
throw only Whi;ehea orpedOes distance OF Two OF
three hundred yards and ihose with only slight degree
OF ,S ,h oy.nma,ie eu would be Appreciated
Among the prominent stockholders OF the company arc
| j. A. Bostwick. Rodney Daniels. OF Buffalo John !;
Winslow builder OF the first monitor kear-Adnlfai
| Charles H. Baldwin, U. :. Navy Luther H. MARSH ana
ex-Congressman W. Harris. formerly chairman oil the
| Naval Committee Of the House OF Representatives,